The Holy Center of the Icon

The common and best-known definition of icons is, “They are windows into mystery.” In short, the result of reading and praying icons is a spiritual experience. In the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, the “window” is plentiful redemption. Where is the entrance point for us to enter into the heart of the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help? In other words, where is the door that opens to the powerful experience of the mystery of Mary?

In the long-form name of the icon, the Miraculous Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, the word miraculous is a key to experiencing and understanding the center of the icon. In the geometric center of the icon, the Child Logos holds Mary’s right thumb between his hands. This is a sacred space filled with wonder and glory. It is highly symbolic of the great mystery of the Incarnation and the statement of the importance of Mary in the mystery of our salvation.

The way the hands of the Child lay over the thumb joint of the hand of Mary represents his human and divine nature. The left hand of the Christ Child, fully formed and facing outward, represents his human nature. His right hand is somewhat hidden; this partial exposure represents his divinity hidden in his humanity. This intimate expression of the hands over the center of Mary (her heart), is an expression of the love of the Logos Child for his Mother, from whom he has taken his human form.

When we pray with the icon, we can center our prayer of gazing on these hands with readings from Hebrews 10:5–7. A

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Daniel Korn, CSSR

Br. Daniel Korn, CSsR, is the Our Mother of Perpetual Help iconologist for
the Redemptorists.